General A general officer is an Officer (armed forces), officer of highest military ranks, high rank in the army, armies, and in some nations' air forces, space forces, and marines or naval infantry. In some usages the term "general officer" refers t ...

Sir Frederick William Edward Forestier-Walker, (17 April 1844 – 30 August 1910) was a British senior military officer and

Governor of Gibraltar The governor of Gibraltar is the representative of the British monarch in the British overseas territory of Gibraltar. The governor is appointed by the monarch on the advice of the British government. The role of the governor is to act as the ...

Military career

Forestier-Walker was the eldest son of General Sir Edward Forestier-Walker (previously Walker), by his first wife, Lady Jane Ogilvy-Grant, daughter of the 6th Earl of Seafield. Educated at the

Royal Military Academy Sandhurst The Royal Military Academy Sandhurst (RMAS or RMA Sandhurst), commonly known simply as Sandhurst, is one of several military academies of the United Kingdom and is the British Army's initial officer training centre. It is located in the town of ...

, Forestier-Walker was commissioned into the

Scots Guards The Scots Guards (SG) is one of the five Foot Guards regiments of the British Army. Its origins are as the personal bodyguard of King Charles I of England and Scotland. Its lineage can be traced back to 1642, although it was only placed on the ...

ensign An ensign is the national flag flown on a vessel to indicate nationality. The ensign is the largest flag, generally flown at the stern (rear) of the ship while in port. The naval ensign (also known as war ensign), used on warships, may be diffe ...

and

lieutenant A lieutenant ( , ; abbreviated Lt., Lt, LT, Lieut and similar) is a commissioned officer rank in the armed forces of many nations. The meaning of lieutenant differs in different militaries (see comparative military ranks), but it is often sub ...

, by purchase, on 5 September 1862,"Frederick Forestier-Walker."
''Oxford Dictionary of National Biography''] and was appointed a lieutenant and Captain (British Army and Royal Marines), captain, by purchase, on 11 July 1865. In 1873 he was appointed Military Secretary to the General Officer Commanding

Cape Colony The Cape Colony ( nl, Kaapkolonie), also known as the Cape of Good Hope, was a British Empire, British colony in present-day South Africa named after the Cape of Good Hope, which existed from 1795 to 1802, and again from 1806 to 1910, when i ...

and 15 October 1878 was promoted

colonel Colonel (abbreviated as Col., Col or COL) is a senior military officer rank used in many countries. It is also used in some police forces and paramilitary organizations. In the 17th, 18th and 19th centuries, a colonel was typically in charge of ...

. Forestier-Walker saw action in the Cape Frontier Wars, for which he was appointed a

Companion of the Order of the Bath Companion may refer to: Relationships Currently * Any of several interpersonal relationships such as friend or acquaintance * A domestic partner, akin to a spouse * Sober companion, an addiction treatment coach * Companion (caregiving), a caregive ...

in November 1878, and in the

Anglo-Zulu War The Anglo-Zulu War was fought in 1879 between the British Empire and the Zulu Kingdom. Following the passing of the British North America Act of 1867 forming a federation in Canada, Lord Carnarvon thought that a similar political effort, coupl ...

. He was promoted to captain and lieutenant colonel of the Scots Guards 20 March 1880. In 1882 he was appointed Assistant Adjutant and Quartermaster-General for the Home District but shortly after returned to South Africa. From 1884 he served in Bechuanaland, and in January 1886, for services in that protectorate, he was appointed a

Companion of the Order of St Michael and St George The Most Distinguished Order of Saint Michael and Saint George is a British order of chivalry founded on 28 April 1818 by George IV, George IV, Prince of Wales, while he was acting as prince regent for his father, George III, King George III. ...

. He was appointed a

brigadier Brigadier is a military rank, the seniority of which depends on the country. In some countries, it is a senior rank above colonel, equivalent to a brigadier general or commodore, typically commanding a brigade of several thousand soldiers. In ...

Aldershot Aldershot () is a town in Hampshire, England. It lies on heathland in the extreme northeast corner of the county, southwest of London. The area is administered by Rushmoor Borough Council. The town has a population of 37,131, while the Alders ...

in 1889 and

Commander Commander (commonly abbreviated as Cmdr.) is a common naval officer rank. Commander is also used as a rank or title in other formal organizations, including several police forces. In several countries this naval rank is termed frigate captain. ...

British Troops in Egypt British Troops in Egypt was a command of the British Army. History A British Army commander was appointed in the late 19th century after the Anglo-Egyptian War in 1882. The British Army remained in Egypt throughout the First World War and, after t ...

in 1890, during which he was knighted and promoted to a

Knight Commander of the Order of the Bath The Most Honourable Order of the Bath is a British order of chivalry founded by George I of Great Britain, George I on 18 May 1725. The name derives from the elaborate medieval ceremony for appointing a knight, which involved Bathing#Medieval ...

. Upon returning from Egypt in 1895, he was appointed General Officer Commanding Western District, serving until 1890. In 1899 he again returned to Africa, becoming GOC

and acting as lieutenant general in command of Lines of Communication, South Africa Field Force, 1899–1901. He was thus responsible for disembarkation of troops and military stores and sending them to the front. In a despatch dated 31 March 1900, the Commander-in-Chief in South Africa, Lord Roberts, wrote how Forestier-Walker carried out his duties "with credit to himself and with advantage to the public service". He was promoted to Knight Grand Cross of the

Order of St Michael and St George The Most Distinguished Order of Saint Michael and Saint George is a British order of chivalry founded on 28 April 1818 by George IV, George IV, Prince of Wales, while he was acting as prince regent for his father, George III, King George III. ...

(GCMG) in November 1900 for his services in South Africa. Following the end of the war, Forestier-Walker was promoted to the rank of

general A general officer is an Officer (armed forces), officer of highest military ranks, high rank in the army, armies, and in some nations' air forces, space forces, and marines or naval infantry. In some usages the term "general officer" refers t ...

on 6 July 1902. He was

from 1905 until shortly before his death in 1910, and also acted as General Officer Commanding Mediterranean in 1909. In retirement, he became a Director of the ''Cold Storage Company''. He was a Knight of Grace of the Order of St John from 1901.

Family

In 1887 he married Mabel Louisa Ross and they had one son.

References

Sources

* , - , - , - {{DEFAULTSORT:Forestier-Walker, Frederick 1844 births 1910 deaths British Army generals Knights Grand Cross of the Order of St Michael and St George Knights Commander of the Order of the Bath Scots Guards officers Military personnel from Hertfordshire British Army personnel of the Anglo-Zulu War People from Bushey Governors of Gibraltar British Army personnel of the Second Boer War